Why is it essential to document the purpose and goals of an application?

Documenting the purpose and goals of an application is fundamentally important for obtaining consensus from stakeholders. This documentation serves as a foundational communication tool that aligns all parties involved—from business leaders to end-users—on what the application aims to achieve. When everyone understands the objectives clearly, it reduces misunderstandings and conflicts later in the development process. Consensus is particularly crucial in collaborative environments, where multiple stakeholders may have varying ideas and expectations. By establishing a well-documented purpose and set of goals, you foster collaboration and ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page, which ultimately leads to a smoother development process.

The other options, while they might seem relevant, don't emphasize the centrality of stakeholder agreement as effectively. For instance, process modeling requires understanding the goals, but that alone doesn’t guarantee alignment among all parties. Validation of the completed application is indeed essential, but it typically comes after the application is built, rather than being a primary focus during the initial stages of development. Similarly, defining the application's scope is important, but it is a secondary effect of having informed stakeholders rather than the primary reason for documenting the application's purpose and goals. The emphasis here is on the necessity of stakeholder engagement throughout the application development lifecycle.